BarSAS – the application system through which applications to Bar school must be made.

Bench – the judiciary.

Bencher – a senior member of an Inn of Court. Usually silks and judges, known as Masters of the Bench.

Brief – the documents setting out case instructions.

BPTC– the Bar Professional Training Course. Successful completion entitles you to call yourself a barrister in non-legal circumstances (ie dinner parties), but does not give you rights of audience.

Cab-rank rule – Self-employed barristers cannot refuse instructions if they have the time and experience to undertake the case. You cannot refuse to represent someone because you find their opinions or actions objectionable.

Call – the ceremony whereby you become a barrister.

Chambers – a group of barristers in independent practice who have joined together to share the costs of practising. Chambers is also the name used for a judge’s private office.

Chambers & Partners– that's us, remember? So called because the founder of the company is Michael Chambers, not because we write about the Bar.

Circuit – The courts of England and Wales are divided into six circuits: North Eastern, Northern, Midland, South Eastern, Western and Wales & Chester circuits.

Clerk – administrator/manager in chambers who organises work for barristers and payment of fees, etc.

Independent Bar – the collective name for barristers who practise on a self-employed basis.

Inns of Court– ancient institutions that alone have the power to ‘make’ barristers. There was a time when there was a proliferation of them but now there are only four: Gray’s Inn, Inner Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Middle Temple.

Junior – a barrister not yet appointed silk. Note: older juniors are known as senior juniors.

Junior brief – a case on which a junior is led by a senior. Such cases are too much work for one barrister alone and may involve a lot of research or run for a long time. Ordinarily, junior counsel will not conduct advocacy.

Keeping term – eating the dinners in hall required to be eligible for call to the Bar.

Marshalling – work experience in which you shadow a judge, normally lasting between one and five days.

Mess – the hierarchical groups of four in which students sit during dining sessions. ‘Mixed messes’ means that barristers and masters sit with students.

Mini-pupillage– work experience at a set of chambers, normally lasting between one and five days.

Moot – a legal debate in which students act as claimants or respondents in an appeal court (ie the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court). Typically, there will be two students on each team, acting as either senior or junior.

Pupillage– the year of training undertaken after Bar school and before tenancy.

Pupil supervisor – a senior barrister with whom a pupil sits and who teaches the pupil. Some sets and barristers still refer to this position by its old title: pupil master (or mistress).

QC – one of Her Majesty’s Counsel, formerly appointed by the Lord Chancellor. The system fell into abeyance in 2004 and has now been revived with a new, more open appointments system. In the reign of a male monarch, the term is KC (King’s Counsel).

Tenant/tenancy – permission from chambers to join their set and work with them. A ‘squatter’ is someone who is permitted to use chambers’ premises, but is not actually a member of the set. A ‘door tenant’ is someone who is affiliated with the set, but does not conduct business from chambers’ premises.

Third six – when pupils are not successful in gaining tenancy, they can apply for a third six at another set in the hopes of success there.